Uzbekistan, South Korea to enhance cooperation built on longer-term interests

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov is in Seoul with a state visit at the invitation of President of the Republic of Korea Lee Myung-Bak.

The second day of the visit started with a trip to the National Memorial Complex, a burial site of the remains of nearly 170 thousand people who sacrificed their lives for the freedom and independence of the native land.

The leader of Uzbekistan paid tribute to the memory of the fallen and laid a wreath to the Memorial Column.

The official ceremony of our two presidents’ meeting took place in the Cheong Wa Dae (Blue Palace) historical complex and office of the President of the Republic of Korea.

In an atmosphere of openness and willingness to step up cooperation, Islam Karimov and Lee Myung-Bak discussed issues across the extensive bilateral agenda, including the interaction in political and diplomatic, trade and economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian areas as well as those in regional and international affairs.

It has been stressed that the current meeting – an event in the year the two sides mark the twentieth anniversary of diplomatic relations – constitutes a logical extension of the intensive and mutually confidential Uzbek-South Korean dialogue. One of the practical outcomes of last year’s Tashkent summit was the stone-laying ceremony into the construction of an impressive joint project, Ustyurt Gas and Chemical Complex at the Surgil Deposit in western Uzbekistan, with the participation of the heads of our two states. The scheme has come to be one of the brightest symbols of the mutually rewarding cooperation between Uzbekistan and South Korea.

Following the meeting, Presidents Karimov and Lee adopted a joint declaration which contains the evaluation of the current state of multilayered cooperation between our two nations and the priority aspects of the enhancement of bilateral relations for the future.

An agreement on legal assistance in civil and economic issues, a tourism cooperation agreement, along with a package of documents in lending and finance area and other spheres have been signed at the presence of the heads of state.

Later that day, in an office residence allocated to him, the President of Uzbekistan met with leaders of eminent South Korean businesses; namely, the Chief Executive Officer of POSCO Corporation Chung Joon-Yang, the Chairman and CEO of Korean Air and Hanjin Group of Companies Cho Yangho. These meetings served to discuss issues pertinent to bolstering the longer-term mutually advantageous interaction and searching for opportunities to elaborate and implement new joint schemes. President Islam Karimov exchanged views on shoring up cooperation in information technologies and communications systems with Maeng Hyung-kyu, Minister of Public Administration and Security of the Republic of Korea.

Other events envisioned within President Islam Karimov’s state visit to the Republic of Korea are due on 21 September.